Kei Trucks

About

Kei Trucks are a variety of pickup trucks that are manufactured in Japan and have become a staple of Japanese lifestyle for their small size compared to efficiency since being introduced in 1959. Online, kei trucks have been the subject of various memes since the late 2010s, with a wave of increased importing of these vehicles (particularly in the U.S.) as a far cheaper and more compact alternative to most modern-day trucks. Similar to the cars from Initial D becoming cult classics, kei trucks made by Suzuki and Honda have seen an increase in fans since 2020, garnering a significant presence online.

History

Originally produced in Japan in 1959, the kei truck, often called the mini truck, became popularized as a way to have the flexibility of a pickup truck but with the footprint of a much smaller vehicle. Such vehicles are strictly limited to specific size restrictions, which are a max length of 11.2 feet and a max width of 4.9 feet.^[5] Kei trucks are manufactured by numerous Japanese automakers, with Honda and Suzuki being among the most well-known (Suzuki kei truck commercial shown below).

On March 20th, 2024, the YouTube^[4] channel Shooting Cars uploaded a video titled "Kei Trucks – Why Are They So Popular In The United States?" that discussed the rise of the vehicles in the U.S., receiving over 495,000 views, 11,000 likes and 1,300 comments in roughly two years (seen below).

Online Presence

As kei trucks garnered attention in the U.S. in the late 2010s, the vehicles started to become the subject of memes around the internet. In American society where vehicles like Hummers and other trucks are valued by many for their size,^[6] some of the earliest memes revolving around kei trucks were about them still being cool despite their smaller footprints.

For example, on July 14th, 2019, iFunny user NissanHardBody^[1] uploaded a meme in which they claimed that kei cars and trucks were "Big Dick Energy" (shown below). The meme did not receive viral engagement but is one of the earliest known examples of kei trucks being incorporated into memes.

Over the next two years, Kei trucks continued to see a steady increase in both physical presence on the road outside of Japan, as well as appearances in memes about them.

For example, on January 27th, 2022, Redditor u/Dense_Excitement_789^[2] posted a Magneto's Perfection meme in the subreddit /r/Memes in which Magneto is saying to keep showing him a real Japanese truck until a kei truck is what is shown, receiving over 360 upvotes and 10 comments in roughly three years (shown below).

With the release of the Tesla Cybertruck in late 2023, many kei truck enthusiasts began to make memes comparing the two trucks in a way to make the kei truck seem superior.

On February 26th, 2024, Redditor u/notyogrannysgrandkid^[3] uploaded a breakdown comparison meme between the kei truck and a Cybertruck, making various points about the drastic differences in price, mileage, maintenance and style, while earning over 2,000 upvotes in eight months (shown below).

Various Examples

Search Interest

External References